Hundreds line up near Edmonton to endorse referendum on Alberta leaving Canada

People take part in signing a petition that seeks to have a referendum on Alberta separation in Stony Plain, Alta., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

An hour after the doors opened Thursday at a community centre west of Edmonton, an employee poked her head in to make sure the crowd was still under its 650-person fire capacity.

Inside the hall, which the town of Stony Plain advertises as an ideal wedding venue, hundreds of Albertans were eager to sign their names to a petition looking to force a vote on Alberta quitting Canada.

“It’s definitely not unusual,” campaign volunteer Nicholas Kasper said of the lineup.

Similar signing events across the province have seen long lines indoors and out during the heart of winter. The petition was officially sanctioned by Alberta’s chief electoral officer nearly three weeks ago.

Roger Cyr waited over an hour Thursday.

"(Ottawa doesn’t) listen to us," he said. “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.

“They don’t have to like it, but that’s the way it is.”

He and others in line said Alberta would be better off financially if it struck out on its own.

Cyr said one reason is that Alberta would no longer be part of the federal equalization program, which sees Ottawa distribute funds to certain provinces based on revenue capacity.

“If the other provinces can’t get their affairs in order and Alberta’s got to subsidize them, then the problems are not Alberta. The problem is the other provinces,” Cyr said.

Kelly Littlejohn, a campaign volunteer directing traffic as more people filed in and out of the community centre, said Alberta just isn’t culturally compatible with the rest of Canada.

“I think that Canadian values are not Alberta values anymore,” she said.

“They have their way, we have our way, and that’s really fine. But we have to be separated from that.”

Littlejohn said she never thought she’d be part of a movement to leave the country but last year’s federal election and the rise of the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Mark Carney has left her feeling “devastated.”

“I’ve always been so proud to be Canadian. I’m not anymore.”

Shirley and Dave Howard, who signed the petition, agreed.

“I love to be a Canadian. But I don’t believe that I can stay a part of Canada anymore because it’s just not the same,” said Shirley Howard

She said Alberta would have a lot to figure out if it was to become its own country, but she didn’t list specifics.

“The biggest hurdle is just putting everything all together and getting us running again,” Shirley said.

“But if we have the right people in place, it’ll go smoothly. We’ll just work at it and get it done. Because we’re Albertans.”

Dave Howard said the federal government and CBC would spread propaganda and “fearmongering” if Alberta decides to leave.

“No different than what they did in the last election,” he said. Like with the COVID-19 pandemic, said Shirley Howard.

“Lockdowns and draconian things and the biggest push of getting into the European Union and the (World Economic Forum) and this global thing. That’s what you have to overcome,” said Dave Howard.

The petition is spearheaded by Mitch Sylvestre, a constituency association president for Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party and a group called Stay Free Alberta.

Kasper said the campaign isn’t disclosing how many signatures have been gathered so far, but he’s more than confident it’ll surpass the nearly 178,000 signatures needed before May.

Kasper said he has too many reasons to count for wanting separation. He pointed to the federal government’s bail laws and gun and livestock policies as examples.

“How much abuse can you put up with? That’s the message of Albertans. We’re so weary of being abused,” he said.

“You know the story of Cinderella? It’s a beautiful story because she escaped.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press